'Different rules for different players,' Harbhajan slams selection committee for Nair's exclusion

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh Tuesday said that he is finding it "difficult to understand" the parameters used by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee for picking the national squad.

Joining the chorus to protest Karun Nair’s exclusion from the Indian Test squad, Harbhajan Singh blasted the Indian selection committee for having no set parameters for picking the national squad.

Nair, the only triple centurion after Virender Sehwag, was dropped from the Indian Test squad for the two-match series against West Indies after warming the benches in England for two months. The selection committee chairman MSK Prasad, however, did clear the air, stating that Nair will remain the scheme of things if he continues to score runs in the domestic circuit. Harbhajan was not in the mood buy that argument.

"This is a mystery that needs to be solved. How can a person sitting on the bench for three months become so bad that he is not good enough to remain in the squad," Harbhajan questioned the selection committee's decision during an interaction with PTI.

"Trust me, I am at pains to understand the thinking of this selection committee and the parameters that they are using for selecting national squads," said the man who has over 700 international wickets across formats.

The 'Turbanator' cannot but feel for the young Nair, who remains the only Indian, apart from Virender Sehwag, to have a triple hundred in Test cricket.

"I find different set of rules for different players. There are some who are given a long rope to succeed while for select others they don't even get one chance to fail. That is not fair," Harbhajan said.

Nair was the only cricketer who did not game in England and rookie Vihari, who arrived as a replacement of Kuldeep Yadav, was preferred over Nair for the final Test match. This made Harbhajan wonder, what if Vihari, who scored a half-century on debut, fails against West Indies.

"What if Hanuma Vihari fails in two Test matches against West Indies? Though I would never wish something like that for any player. I wish him (Vihari) all the very best. (In case Vihari is not able to deliver) so you will go back to Nair but will he be battle ready with confidence for Australia tour?"

Ironically, Nair played only three Tests after his triple hundred against England at Chennai in 2016. He failed to grab the eyeballs in those three Tests at home against Australia and was dropped from the squad, only to return for the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the five-match series in England.

"If team management did not play Karun for five Tests, then it means that he couldn't inspire confidence in them.

"Well, my question is whether the selectors were able to convince the captain while naming Karun for England series? If not did they seriously consider the name that team management had in mind," Harbhajan questioned.

For someone who played international cricket for 18 years, Harbhajan knows very well how poor selection policy can affect the morale and team performance.

"Hope all concerned with team selection undergo course correction before they decide on the Australia tour," he signed off.